The Antidote

Chapter 1 - The Run

I hope they lost my track. But deep within my bowels, I know they didn't. My micro chip is burning like crazy and I can feel it right under my skin. I wish I hadn't lost that dagger. For three days, it has been a game of mouse and cat, between me and the Capital. I am not far from the Barrier. A few kilometers and then it will be done. Then, I will be free. Then, I will die. I heard a lot of stories about what could be out there. Some say it's a wild wasteland, full of mutants and radioactive waste. Others say that there are just the ghostly ruins of the Old World. Anyways, I'm heading there and i know for sure that nothing will stop me.

I get up and speed up my pace. The troupes left for now. But they'll return. The chip is still inside my body and as long as my heart beats, they will know I am alive. I guess I have a huge luck. They can't triangulate my exact position. Otherwise, I would have been back in the Capital by now. Tortured for treason.

I start walking slowly towards the outskirts of the dense forest. I can't run. If my heart beats faster, it will be easier for them to find me. A few more trees and then, it will be just me and the huge Barrier. I jump over a fallen tree trunk, as I try to see far in the distance. I can hear some birds singing. It's a nice song, which reminds me of the songs my dad used to sing for me when I was just a baby. Before all this madness started.

I shake my head and I continue to walk through the dense vegetation that blocks my view. But as I push through the green foliage, I can see fewer trees, and the vegetation starts getting smaller and smaller. I think I reached the outskirts of the forest. I sigh happily and I make a few more steps, getting out of the dense forest once and for all.

But, to my disappointment, some flat plains appear behind the trees. I whisper some swears. This is complicating my plans considerably. I can't just teleport to the other side, and sure as hell I can't become invisible, like the Capital's aircrafts. I can't take a simple walk out in open space. It would make me an easy target. I need to stop and think about this. How do I get on the other side without them noticing my presence? The only way is to run as fast as I can towards the barrier and hope they don't see me. But that isn't quite a good option. If they see me, they will start attacking me. They want to capture me and take me back to the Capital, to perform their weird tests on me. And that is the last thing I want.

The last golden ray of sun disappears behind the huge titanium wall. Tonight. It's the only way. Otherwise, I will spend more days dodging the troupes of white soldiers, trying to find another way of getting out.

***

As the minutes pass, I start to see the stars appearing one by one in the ink-blue sky. This is my signal. I stare once again behind me, making sure I am alone, and then, I throw myself into a mad run, for the Barrier. But it's a huge mistake. One that can cost me my life. It's a far more bigger distance than I had appreciated. It will take me at least fifteen minutes to pass the dry plain. And my heart is already beating madly in my chest. I jump over a high rock, and I continue to work my muscles. Everything becomes blurry around me and all I can see is the sturdy wall of titanium, that stretches as far as the Capital does, protecting the city from the deadly exterior.

I don't stop, even though my lungs are exploding and my heart is throbbing with pain. I want to be close to the wall when they hit. But I guess I spoke much too sooner. A powerful blast of energy sends me flying through the air, as a white aircraft appears out of nowhere. It makes me wonder if they were spying on me all of this time... I feel my own blood dripping over my eyelids, but I don't care. My body is numb from the exhausting run, so I don't feel the sharp pain in my forehead. All I can feel is my heart, pumping hot blood in every single cell of my body.

I get up, even though my bones are screaming at me to stop and surrender, and I continue to run, as I start searching for the last grenade I have somewhere in my pocket. I just hope I still got it. If I don't, I'm as good as dead.  Another explosion bites into the ground, but this time it doesn't touch me. I can still feel its shockwave vibrating under my feet.

They start shooting at me with their automatic guns. I can hear the metal bullets penetrating the earth. I guess it's better than hearing them penetrate my flesh. I don't know how much time has passed, but the Wall is so close now. I can see the shining, dark surface of the metal, as I get closer and closer. Suddenly, I stop. I turn around, just in time to see the aircraft flying lower and lower, to get a better target. But they won't.

I scream, and with all the force left in my body, I throw the grenade at the metal monster. Time seems to slow down, as the grenade explodes into a shockwave of fire, smoke and light. The explosion was much more powerful than I thought. I could feel the bang of the explosion deep into my stomach. The aircraft comes crashing down before me, and explodes entirely when it hits the hard earth. I can still hear the soldier's desperate screams, inside the fire trap. I am alive. I don't even feel the crushing pain in my chest and feet. For a moment, I enjoy watching the huge, burning remain of the aircraft. I feel powerful. for now, at least.

A crooked smile appears on my lips, but as soon as I turn around to continue my dangerous journey, someone punches me into the jaw and I completely pass out into a black, painful sleep.

***

I wake up on a hard surface. It seems to be a wooden bench, but it could serve as a bed. My head is killing me. As soon as I get up, the pain hits me, making me feel the need to throw up. But I have to control myself. Where am I?

I look around. It looks like a workshop, built into a stone cave. There is a small, fragile glass lamp that emanates a dim yellow light. I get up on my feet, as I continue to look around. I accidentally see my image in a cracked mirror. I look awful. My forehead is bandaged, and the white material has a red stain in the middle. Also, I have dozens of little scars on my hands and face. Otherwise, I am alive and kicking. Maybe I look a bit yellowish, but that's only because I am so tired and famished. I start unwrapping the bloody bandage, trying to see how bad is it. I don't feel any pain, so I guess it's a pretty superficial cut. But I'm not right. It's a long, deep cut, which goes right into my scalp. I quickly wrap the bandage around the open wound, as I can feel the urge to throw up again in my stomach.

"Stay right where you are, or I will kill you." suddenly says a calm, icy voice. I turn around in fear, and it's a big mistake. The sharp pain hits me again, with all its might, making me fall onto my knees. "Who are you?" I manage to ask, while my eyes are closed because of the excruciating pain still travelling through my body. "Not so important. Not for you, at least. I don't remember asking you anything about your name, so I don't see why I should tell you anything about mine.". I can feel the sarcasm, along with the urge to slap the stranger. But I am to weak to slap him, so I just sit on my knees, with my forehead on the cold stone floor and with my hands on my head. "Why did you run?" he asks me. "Why do you care?" I ask, trying to pay him back with the same amount of sarcasm. "Because I never got to see an aircraft blown up by a child like that before.". Even though I can hear the admiration in his voice, that still doesn't stop me from getting up and showing him the middle finger. "I am 17 year old, you dumb idiot."

"Watch your tongue, boy." he says. "You may be a kid, but that won't stop me from ripping your throat out with my bare hands.". "Do it, then. You would make me a favor, freeing me from this perpetual hell." I say. I can hear the man getting closer and closer. I shut up. I don't want to end up being killed by a freak when I am so close. I try for the second time to get up on my feet, but my knees fail under my body's weight again. This time, I don't fall. The stranger catches me just as I am about to hit the floor. I open my eyes to meet a beautiful pair of icy blue eyes staring back into mine. But that is all I can see, before I fall back into a black, dreamless sleep.